Khartoum releases opposition members
Sudan, Politics, 6/20/2003

The Sudanese authorities have released 35 members of leaders of the opposition parties who were arrested during a meeting in the house of the chairman of the front in defense of democracy, Khaled Suleiman.

The Sudanese authorities accused the opposition of the attempt to undermine the current peace negotiations between the government and the southern rebels led by Garang.

For his part, the Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir rejected the current controversy on the relation between religion and the state and said that this issue is settled.

The Sudanese President refused the idea of converting Sudan's capital to a secular city. An obstacle which hinders the current peace talks between the government of Khartoum and the rebels of the south to end 20 years of conflict.

The main opposition parties agreed in May the idea of having a capital based on the ground of equality among all religions and believes and political affiliations. However, Bashir said yesterday he will not bargain the Islamic identity of Sudan's capital, Khartoum.

The official radio quoted the Sudanese president saying "we have to clarify here that the question of the religious identity of the state was settled. Our concentration now should be on sharing the authority and resources, the security measures in the provisional phase. A matter which we are negotiating now."

Bashir added that any attempt to negotiate on the nature of religion for Khartoum means sabotaging the peace talks and giving up the peace process. Bashir's statement came upon his meeting with a delegation including a group of Muslim scholars and politicians in Khartoum.

Worthy mentioning that the current peace talks aim currently at ending two decades of civil war between the government and the rebels of the south which claimed the lives of more than 2 million persons.

Previous Stories:
  Sheikh Hamdan gets a message from Sudan's FM   (6/17/2003)
  First visit of its kind, Moussa in southern Sudan on June 30th   (6/14/2003)
  Consultations between Sudanese government, rebels, and mediators to draft final agreement   (6/12/2003)

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